What headlamp do you like AND WHY? (Read 991 times)

I use a Princeton Tec Quad($30). I also use a flashing bike light(red) and a reflective vest.

Same here. PT works great. Bright enough to run night races. Use photo batteries. Standard batt, will not last long in the cold. It has a low batt. light so you shouldn't get stranded.

superspike113

Honorary Old

posted: 2/12/2013 at 3:02 PM

I have a zebralight H51 and it works great for winter running, not so comfortable on a bare forehead though. My favorite part is how compact it is, with awesome light off a single AA battery. My headlamp before that was a cheap halogen and ran off expensive camera batteries and sucked them dry in 3 hours, it was costing me a fortune.

It's very bright, has flashing mode as well as a rear red flasher. It is lightweight, holds up in the rain, and does not bounce (has a top head strap).

It fits snugly, but has enough give that I can wear it over a running cap where it stays put. (At first I did think it was too small, but once I got running with it, I was glad as the tightness helps eliminate bouncing. I would suggest trying it out at your LRS if you are concerned about the size.)

It's battery lasts easily 6 hours for me on high beam. It's supposed to last much longer with low intensity beam, but I haven't tried it.

The one thing I don't like as well is that there is really no practical way to remove the light unit from the elastic head strap for cleaning. However, since I wear it over a cap, the strap really doesn't get as sweaty as it would if I wore it directly on my head.

This light has kept me out of trouble running on the trails in the early AM, and I'd definitely buy it again.

Good luck!

Just thought I'd report back after a season of using this light.

This is probably one of the two best running accessories I've ever bought--it saved me several times during early morning trail runs in the dark this fall/winter. Holds a charge for days on end, durable, and I can't even feel it when I wear it with a running cap.

I'm tempted to buy another just in case they change it...love it!

markrice

Geezer trying for speed

posted: 7/2/2013 at 2:25 PM

Totally agreed with ShuffleFaster. I also bought the Black Diamond Sprinter (the 75 lumen with USB connection). It's been fantastic!

Pros

Battery life is excellent... used it on many full days of working on a project and it lasted ALL day and well into darkness. We're talking about 6-8 hours of solid use. When I only use it for running (usually true) I could skip several days in a row without charging.

Very light and barely noticeable. When with a cap, I only notice the band, but not much. There's no bouncing.

Very well balanced because of the light in the front and the light battery in the back

The flashing rear light is bright and visible (unlike my past headlamp which was not noticeable enough)

It's simple and bright.

Cons

The broader beam (not a spot) works well for my vision, but drivers have a harder time seeing it as a moving object. (Spot headlamps have more flashy effect with slight turns of the head.) A bright flashing red up front would likely help (even near the headlamp).

NOT a problem for me but: Does not come with a transformer... only a USB connector; you must supply the actual power supply. I had extras so it was not a problem.

I've used the Night Beams Cap for pre-dawn road runs. For trail running, I think I'd want something a little stronger. But for the streets this is plenty bright and is a very light, easy-to-wear form factor that doesn't bounce and has great battery life (80 hours). It has front and rear lighting, which you can set to blink.

2015 goals: • 2,500 miles • Get healthy • 50 miler

TripleBock

posted: 9/6/2013 at 3:29 PM

What are you using it for - I use mine mostly to run on technical trail at night. More lumens the better + rechargeable is nice.

What are you using it for - I use mine mostly to run on technical trail at night. More lumens the better + rechargeable is nice.

Hi TripleBock. I bought the Black Diamond Sprinter and it works very well for me. I use it for road running early in the morning most of the time... I tend to run around 4:30. NOTE: It was bright enough for me to spot a cottonmouth snake in the road well before running into him/her. Glad to have detected that one. 75 lumens, not a spot beam, but not too much toward flood either... with a flashing red rear light... very light weight. It's been fantastic. (comes with a USB cord, but no adapter, so you must supply an adapter or plug it into a computer... just be aware of it... worked for me because I have some spare adapters).

Hi TripleBock. I bought the Black Diamond Sprinter and it works very well for me. I use it for road running early in the morning most of the time... I tend to run around 4:30. NOTE: It was bright enough for me to spot a cottonmouth snake in the road well before running into him/her. Glad to have detected that one. 75 lumens, not a spot beam, but not too much toward flood either... with a flashing red rear light... very light weight. It's been fantastic. (comes with a USB cord, but no adapter, so you must supply an adapter or plug it into a computer... just be aware of it... worked for me because I have some spare adapters).

I've found it pretty much works with any adapter I've attached it to. It works with the Garmin 410 adapter, which is handy. Haven't tried it with my ipad adapter yet.